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NEWS UPDATE : Asian Cricket Third Sri Lanka-Pakistan ODI abandoned due to rain COLOMBO: The third One-day International between Sri Lanka and Pakistan was abandoned due to rain here at the R Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday. The umpires made this decision after consulting ... Australia want to master all forms of game: Clarke SYDNEY: Australia's limited-overs tour of England and Ireland represents the start of a two-year campaign to make them the top nation in all three forms of the game, captain Michael Clarke said ... Bopara glad to be back for England SOUTHAMPTON, England: Ravi Bopara is eager to make up for lost times as he tries to revive his ... South Africa name unchanged squad for England series JOHANNESBURG: South Africa have kept faith with a winning formula by naming an unchanged squad for the three-Test series in England starting next month, Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced on ...


Monday, December 12, 2011

Bracewell bowls Kiwis to sensational 7-run win over Aussies


HOBART :  Australia: Seamer Doug Bracewell bowled New Zealand to a sensational seven-run victory over Australia in the second Test in Hobart on Monday for the Kiwis' first win in Australia for 26 years.The Black Caps captured eight wickets for 74 runs for a dramatic victory midway through the fourth day of an extraordinary Test match at Bellerive Oval.Bracewell finished with 6-40 off 16.4 overs in a match-winning performance to stun the Australians, who appeared on track for victory at 159 for two chasing 241 runs to win.But the Australians folded spectacularly and David Warner's unbeaten maiden Test century went in vain as wickets tumbled around him and Nathan Lyon was bowled by Bracewell in the 64th over to claim victory.It was the Black Caps' first victory in Australia since 1985 as they tied the two-Test series after comprehensively losing the first Gabba Test by nine wickets.Bracewell turned the match around with the wickets of Ricky Ponting (16), Michael Clarke (0), Michael Hussey (0), James Pattinson (4), Mitchell Starc (0) and Lyon (9).Warner carried his bat to finish unbeaten on 123 off 170 balls with 14 boundaries to cement his Test position after fellow opener Phillip Hughes was out again cheaply.Warner surprisingly was preferred to Bracewell as official man-of-the-match in a television viewers' poll.Wickets continued to fall around Warner with Brad Haddin snapped up by Ross Taylor in the slips off Tim Southee and Peter Siddle taken at third slip off Southee for two.Bracewell removed Pattinson and Starc within three balls to have the Black Caps one wicket away from victory after Australia had lost seven wickets for 40.Lyon survived two tense reviews for lbw as Warner went after the runs against a spreadeagled field before Bracewell finished the game when he bowled Lyon.Ponting's possible final Test innings in his home state finished in a whimper after he was given a standing ovation to the wicket.Test cricket's third-highest runscorer spooned a catch to cover after playing back to Bracewell and was out for 16 after scoring just five in the first innings.Clarke was caught at slip by Taylor and Hussey was out first ball lbw after a review went in bowler Bracewell's favour.Hughes's Test future again looked uncertain after he was out in the day's second over with no addition to his overnight score of 20.It was the fourth straight time Hughes was caught by Martin Guptill in the slips off Chris Martin's bowling in the series